HalfBloods in the Hunger Games
by Jacki Thompson
Summary: Roslyn Summers A girl from Camp Half-Blood finds herself in District 5. How did she get here? What's going on? And why in the world is an old enemy her district partner? Rated T for violence, no cursing. Thank you so much! Over 500 views!
1. Chapter 1: Roslyn's Nightmare

Roslyn Summers raced down the hill at Camp Half-Blood. She always loved her vacations here. That was strange, because she lived in Po'ipu, a town in Hawaii. As she came close to her cabin, a beautiful house, with white, shimmering wings making up the sides of the doorway, one of her friends, Piper McLean, showed up, laughing.

"Hey! You're out early!"

"School ended prematurely because of water damage." Brushing her hair back, Roslyn surveyed her friend.

Piper hadn't changed much since when she had been here on spring break. Same wildly chopped hair. Same snowboarding jacket. And the same knife, _Katoptris_, hanging at her waist. The only thing that seemed different, however, was the fact that a necklace, containing one bead, was now around her neck.

"You got your first bead?"

Piper looked down. "Oh yeah! I just got it a couple months ago. How has Kauai been treating you?"

Roslyn shrugged. "It's okay. But how can you go wrong? It's vacation all the time!"

The two friends laughed together, and walked down to the campfire.

On the way down there, Percy Jackson showed up, walking across the lake toward them. When he finally stepped onto dry ground, he ruffled Roslyn's short, crazily colored hair.

"Hey, how've you been, Adidas?"

Adidas was Percy's nickname for Roslyn, as her mother was Nike, also the name of a shoe company.

"I've been doing good. It's hard to go wrong with waterfalls and beautiful flowers."

Percy shrugged. "I wish I could come to visit you. But my job is to stay near Olympus."

Percy and some of the other demigods living near the Empire State Building, otherwise known as Mount Olympus, were given the task of watching for any future attacks.

"But at least you have some source of salt water."

"Yup. It's nice visiting the Long Island Sound."

"Not that! I was talking about New York in general!"

"Oh. Hey Annabeth! Wait up!"

Percy ran to catch up to a cute blonde girl coming out of a gray cabin up ahead.

Piper sighed. "It must be nice to have someone who you're sure likes you." She sounded so wistful, Roslyn turned to look at her. She had some tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Woah, Woah, Woah. Jason likes you. He just hasn't found out yet. Just wait and see!"

Piper got a determined look on her face. "You're right. He'll figure it out eventually. I just need to wait for him to figure it out. Come on. Let's go and see what the flames are like tonight."

With their arms firmly linked, they walked down to the campfire together.

At the campfire, Clarisse tried to pick a fight with one of the Apollo kids. Roslyn stepped in, and said to Clarisse, "You don't want to start a fight with him. I can _make_ you lose. Are you sure you want that?"

Clarisse sneered and replied, "Like that can scare me, punk? You think you're so high and mighty because you have a minor goddess for a mother! So stop acting like you have an army backing you up, because you're the only one." But she backed off.

Roslyn didn't answer. Everything Clarisse had said was true. She _was_ the only child of Nike. And she also had the ability (She hoped) to affect the outcome of a fight.

Piper tugged Roslyn's arm.

"Come on. Forget about her and Lamer." Clarisse had an electric spear that she had named Maimer, but behind her back everyone called it Lamer.

After a few rounds of sing-alongs, everyone departed for bed. Roslyn smiled as she saw Percy Jackson kiss Annabeth Chase goodnight. They had known each other for years, but just last year they had finally started dating.

That night, Roslyn had a nightmare. She saw a girl with long brown hair in a thick braid sleeping in a tree. The girl was wearing what looked like a training jumpsuit. She had scratches all over, and her hair had twigs and dirt in it, as if she had spent many days out in the open.

The girl stirred, and then sat up. She looked around, and Roslyn heard a rustling. Together they turned to face the sound. That's when the whole world exploded into fire.

Roslyn sat up, sweating and breathing hard. She grabbed her sheets and tried to fall back to sleep. As she lay back down, she saw a square of light filtering in through her window, illuminating the carpeted floor.

Wait a minute… The cabin had _wooden_ floor. And there wasn't any window near where she slept. Throwing back the covers, she ran out of the room, through what looked like a kitchen, and into a glass door.

Bouncing off painfully, Roslyn lay there, trying to get her breath back. Finally, she slowly sat up and slowly, carefully, slid the door open. Standing in a small patch of grass, she could see a desolate area, surrounded by large buildings. _Where am I?_

Roslyn sat down in the small square of grass, and curled up, trying to make sense of what happened. _The gods are messing with again. What other explanation is there?_

"Mom?" Roslyn tentatively asked, speaking out loud, desperately hoping that wherever she was, Nike was still around. "I need your help. Where are you?" Roslyn felt a complete and utter peace come over her. "_I _will_ send help. Be patient."_

_So I'm not alone. _Roslyn walked back through the kitchen, and back down the hallway, and opened the door. Inside was a huge bed, and a woman was sleeping in it. Backing out quietly, Roslyn shut the door as quickly as possible.


	2. Chapter 2: Haunting Pasts

Roslyn woke up the next morning to a shrieking woman.

"Get up! I won't tell you again!" It was the same woman from last night. Rolling out of bed, Roslyn looked around "her" room. It seemed pretty plain. There was a bed stand, a worn - was that _pink? _- Rug on the floor. And in the corner sat an old wardrobe.

Pulling it open, Roslyn stared at the clothes inside. How much worse could this place get? There were no sandals, no sundresses, nothing of any nature that would let her enjoy the sun. In fact, now that she looked at it, Roslyn wanted to puke on the _nightgown_ she was wearing.

Oh, well. There was nothing she could do about it. Pulling on the shortest dress she could find, where the sleeves came to her elbows and hung below her knees, Roslyn frowned at the mirror. She looked like a city kid. No, worse, she looked like a city kid who stayed inside all day!

Coming out into the dining room, Roslyn was greeted with a grouchy, "Oh good. You're up." From Mrs. Congeniality.

When Roslyn sat down to eat, she noticed many of the kids, like her, were dressed in second hand clothes. But then she saw him. A blonde teenager sitting in a table by himself.

The bowl of oatmeal clattered to the floor, bringing all eyes to focus on her. The boy looked up, his blue eyes meeting her's. Roslyn could see the scar running across his eye and down his cheek.

But, it was impossible. He was supposed to be _dead._ He _was_ dead. He had to be.

Roslyn fled, tears streaming down her face. She reached her "room" and stretched on the bed, sobbing. That boy… He was the cause of almost everything that had happened to her. But he had been so charming, so handsome, so _caring._ How in the world was he still alive?

But crying never solved anything. Maybe Percy would know what to do. As soon as she could find a gold drachma, Roslyn would call him.

The real question was: how many other dead people would she find in this gods-forsaken place? And how many of them were murderers and thieves?

There was a knock at the door, and Roslyn, wiping her tears away opened it. The blonde haired boy stood there, smiling, just like he used to. Roslyn stared at him for a moment, just gaping, then strode towards him and slapped him as hard as she could, tears again streaming down her face.

"Luke, how could you do this to me?"


	3. Chapter 3: The Reaping

Luke played with his jaw, almost _sure_ something was broken. "Look, Roslyn, I'm sorry-"

"_SORRY?"_ Roslyn shrieked. "You sell me out and leave me for dead, and you tell me you're _sorry_?"

"I thought you were dead! I was underneath Kronos' control! And I was-"

"Oh, don't tell me any of your excuses! You left me! You abandoned me! You told me you loved me and just picked up and left me!"

"Roslyn," Luke sighed. "I know I hurt you. But right now, we've got bigger problems. I'm supposed to be dead, and you're – Uh, you're not dead to, are you?"

Roslyn scowled. "As far as I know, no, I'm not dead. Just in a nightmare."

"Good." Luke nodded. "Just checking."

The grouchy faced woman stuck her head through the door and snapped: "What are you two doing, just standing around? We're going to be late! And don't even think about wearing that dress, young lady! And you!"

Luke just stood there looking surprised. "Me?"

"Yes, you! Get changed right now, or else I'll send you out into the factory for a month!"

The woman withdrew, leaving the two just standing there, trying to figure out what was going on, trying to find the right words to talk to each other, but finding nothing.

"Your hair looks nice." Luke finally got out.

"Thanks! I just got it dyed-" Roslyn reached up to smooth down her hair and almost screamed. It wasn't short anymore, but seemed to be getting longer every second. "What happened to my hair?"

Luke looked shocked. "I don't know. But just a word of advice, don't dye it. That brown looks perfect on you."

Roslyn felt about ready to cry. Her short, beautifully colored hair was gone. Now all she had was long, mousy brown hair. _Oh sure, make things worse at every turn, masters of the universe! _Roslyn wanted to shout.

"But I guess we'd better get ready for whatever we're supposed to be doing." Luke continued. As he walked to his room, which was surprisingly right across the hall, he paused, looked at her sadly, and said, "I really am sorry, Roslyn." Then disappeared inside.

**PAGE BREAK**

Roslyn was feeling so - she searched for the right word – _restricted._ The long dress she was wearing reached down to the tops of the scuffed boots she was wearing. The heavy sleeves reached almost past her fingertips. It was murder, not having a sundress on, or a swimsuit.

"How do they stand to wear these things?" She hissed to Luke, who was wearing a white button-up shirt and black trousers. Seriously? Who wore trousers in this day and age?

"Remember, they probably don't come from a sunny place like you do." He whispered. Roslyn looked at him, for a moment, she was just glad that he was with her. Then she shook herself. This was not the time to be sentimental.

"Rosy, you get in that line, I'll get in that one."

"_Don't_ call me Rosy." Roslyn snapped. But she got in the line he'd indicated anyway.

All the kids in line looked terrified, though Roslyn could not figure out why. Looking across the gap between the next lane and hers, Roslyn noticed many of the girls staring most interestingly at Luke.

Even though she was still properly mad at him, Roslyn felt a twinge of jealousy. He was the only thing around this place that she knew. And, from her point of view, he shouldn't have been even that.

_Why him?_ Roslyn asked silently. _Why is he the one that I have to be here with? What about Piper? Or Percy? What about them?_

"Next!" A sharp voice called. Roslyn found herself at the front of the line. She stepped forward to find a man in a white suit holding out his hand, as if expecting her to give him keys or something like that.

Since she didn't know what to do, Roslyn just stood there. "Your hand." The man said impatiently. Oh.

Roslyn delicately placed her hand in his, not wanting to have to touch him anymore than was necessary. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her index finger. "Ow!" She cried, trying to tug away, but not at her full strength, just trying to slip away from his fingers.

"Sit still. Honestly, you're acting like you've never done this before!" The man said irritably. He held on to her hand in a sharp grip, carefully pressing it down onto the paper, making a dark red fingerprint, still glistening. Roslyn had to fight the urge not to get sick.

_But I _have_ never done this before._

"Next!" The man called. Roslyn quickly made her way to the emptiest row she could find.

"Um… what are you doing?" A girl with two long braids was staring at her as if she was crazy. "You're in the sixteen row." She pointed. "Don't you remember?"

"Uh… of course I do. I just got turned around." Roslyn lied, making her way to the row indicated.

Thankfully, the rest of the teenagers, which were strangely the only ones in the groups, were soon sorted into their own sections. But Roslyn groaned as a man mounted the steps onto the stage. _Oh, great. A speech._ Her ADHD would make this seem like years instead of the maybe hour-long speech this was sure to be. Thankfully, there was plenty to look at, though none of it was pretty.

There was a chain link fence with barbed wire along the top running right across the square Roslyn was standing in. The building behind the stage was painted a dirty white, although it looked a bit like it had once been whitewashed.

"And now…" Roslyn pulled herself out of her trance, noticing to her embarrassment that a small bit of drool was tracing its way out of her mouth.

"We will show a short video about the Hunger Games and then the reaping will commence."

Roslyn screwed up her face. _What? What in the world were the 'Hunger Games'? And what the heck is the 'reaping'?_

Glancing sideways, she saw to her satisfaction that Luke had the same look of confusion on his face. _Well, that makes two of us._

But then she heard a very upbeat track playing, and Roslyn looked toward the screen, and became very still, just watching.

**"Seventy-four years ago, there was a rebellion among the Districts to overthrow the Capitol. But the Districts were few, and were overcome, but only at great cost.**

**And to remind the Districts of the casualties of the Rebellion, the Hunger Games commenced. Each District would send one girl and one boy from the ages of twelve to eighteen, to be trained in the arts of survival, to fight to the death in the arena."**

The movie ended, and the screen went dark. But Roslyn felt like it was forever imprinted on her eyelids. "Fight to the death? Ages twelve to eighteen?" This was murder! This was not right! This was…. Wait. How _did_ they choose the two teenagers?

"And now… Romlinda Esquire!"

A woman with the craziest hair Roslyn had ever seen stood up. She walked to the front of the stage and said: "Ladies first!" In a very chipper voice for sending kids to be slaughtered.

The woman crossed the stage and stuck her hand into the bowl and felt around. Finally she picked one and pulled it out. She crossed to center stage and read from the slip, "Silver Spectrum."

Roslyn looked around. Nobody was moving, but the men in white uniforms were. They walked straight towards the sixteen-year-olds section and started walking along it, carefully scanning each one of the girls.

Every time the scanner made a sound like a buzzer on a game show. Then they reached Roslyn. The scanner made a sound like miniature Klaxon. That seemed like a signal, and it wasn't a good one. Immediately the men in white grabbed her arms and started dragging her up onto the stage.

_No. I'm not coming with you!_ Roslyn kicked out and clobbered one of the men in the stomach, freeing her other hand and taking a strike at the other man, managing to free herself.

She started running towards the far side of the plaza, only to fell a sharp pain on her collarbone, dropping her to her knees. Reaching up, Roslyn pulled a dart out of her shoulder, and threw it away with the last of her energy, hitting the ground and passing out in the next three seconds.

**PAGE BREAK**

Silver opened her eyes, and then shut them again. It was just too painful to even attempt anything of the sort. "Roslyn? Are you okay? Oh, Gods. What happened to you?"

That voice… It snapped her out of it entirely. Silver sat up so quickly, she nearly passed out again. "Sprocket? What are you doing here?"

His tanned face, which had been the point of so many daydreams, looked so concerned, that Silver just wanted to faint again. "Roslyn, what's wrong?"

How could Sprocket not know her name? They had been friends for three years. "Sprocket, my name's Silver. Don't you remember?"

"Don't _you _remember?" He countered. "Your name's Roslyn. You come from Hawaii. You joined my, Kronos', side in the war. After I was taken over by Kronos, you got trapped under a building, and Kronos left you there. Don't you remember?"

Silver shook her head. How could Sprocket be so messed up? Where was Hawaii? And who was Kronos? And as far as Silver could remember, she'd never been in a battle.

"Let me tell you about yourself, Sprocket." Sprocket immediately stopped her.

"Call me Luke."

Okay… "You've been working on a new way to convert electricity from eels for five years. Your father died after getting shocked with one of your genetically enhanced eels. The incident drives you to complete it. Come on, Spro - I mean, Luke. I helped you with your prototypes. Why can't you remember?"


	4. Chapter 4: Silver, or Roslyn?

Silver sat, watching the other reaping's. Sprock-Luke, as he now wanted to be called, had retired to his room. But before that, he had tried all he could to convince her that she was really somebody called Roslyn Summers. Seriously, who named their kid something like that?

But there was one thing she could never forget. How he had saved her life. It had been exactly three years ago, when he had saved her life using the technology that he had created. How well Silver remembered it…

"Okay, sweetheart. Now you try!" Her father encouraged. Spark took a pair of pliers, and carefully inserted the wire into its correct outlet. Her hands shook the entire time, but she managed. "Good job! Soon you'll be running the factory!"

Spark flushed with pleasure. Her father ran the factory himself, so it was a huge honor to hear him say something like that.

"Okay, now you do the whole thing all by yourself." Spark raised the pole, pushed the pin, and then…

Silver shuddered. And then… total darkness. Intense pain. Her parents told her that someone had switched the nonconductive pin with a highly conductive copper pin. She had been dead for almost a whole day because of the shock.

But then Sprocket had come. He had been working on an experiment that could theoretically bring someone back from the dead. Silver's parents were desperate. He took her into the lab, and took a small sample of her blood. He mixed it with his own, living, blood. Then pushed the syringe into her lifeless arm.

He used the electricity in his machine to literally shock her back to life. The first thing she saw was his handsome face, looking at her with such worry that Silver felt like dying again just to see him look at her like that again.

But no freedom comes without a cost. Her hair turned such a white color that her parents changed her name to Silver. And Silver had also noticed something. She couldn't taste the food she ate. She couldn't smell the pine or feel the wind on her cheeks anymore. She was alive, but also dead. She was frozen, forever thirteen. Everyone thought she just looked that young, but she knew better. She would never die, never again smell the comforting smell of her father's sweater, and never again feel her mother's hair touching her cheeks.

The only thing that made the suffering bearable was Sprocket. He was the only one who knew her secret. And the only one who had stayed by her throughout the whole thing. But now was not the time to focus on her past. It was time now to have a look at the other tributes.

The District One tributes were most definitely glamorous. The girl was such a beauty that Silver was sure that whatever happened, this girl could probably win on pure charm, if that was allowed. The boy, Marvel, which Silver personally thought was rather handsome, looked ugly next to his glamorous partner.

The District Two tributes were not really memorable. Well, the girl wasn't. But the boy was the size of an ox, with probably the temperament of a bull.

District Three had two people who were most likely a couple. A boy with black hair and green eyes, like the sea. The girl was very pretty, with blonde hair and gray eyes, like nothing Silver had ever seen before. But something about them was familiar. She got up, holding the blanket close around her, and stepped forward, touching the boy's face.

Then pain exploded inside her head, dropping Silver to the ground. She screamed, which immediately brought out Luke. "Roslyn? What's the matter?" The pain intensified, until Silver was sure her head was about to explode. Then the smoke cleared, and she remembered.

But it was different. Now she was both Silver Spectrum and Roslyn Summers. She remembered Camp Half-Blood and Silver's accident. She remembered the way Silver loved Sprocket and the way Roslyn hated Luke. It was almost as if Silver and Roslyn were now one and the same.

"Oh, Gods." Roslyn sat up, pressing her fingers to her forehead. Luke looked at her, his blue eyes concerned. "Roslyn?"

Roslyn sighed. "I'm back, Luke."

"Think back. Do you remember anything?"

"Too much. I now know my whole life _and _Silver's. It's really weird. But I'm back."

"Uh, I wouldn't be so sure." Luke pulled one of her loose strands of hair away from her head. Still stark white.

Roslyn groaned. "How long until Silver is gone?"

Luke looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when will I forget her whole life? When will I only remember her as a separate person, not as me!"

"Ah." Luke thought. "Well, we could ask Morpheas."

"God of sleep?"

"Exactly. He's also god of memories. Maybe he can take care of Silver. By the way, did you know that you had a crush on me?"

"Shut up! That was Silver! And in case you need to be reminded, Sprocket saved her life!"

"I know. I was just teasing." Luke winked. "But I have to say, it was nice to have you not hitting me all the livelong day. Did you find out why Sprocket and Silver were in that orphanage?"

Roslyn grimaced. "Their parents were accused of stealing, were whipped, and died of infection."

"Oh." Luke didn't look so surprised. "At least we can try to win this, give them their life back."

"You don't get it, do you?" Roslyn yelled. "Only one of us will come out of this alive! And if the gods are around, they're not trying to get us out of this! Has your dad talked to you once since we've been plunked in this godforsaken place?"

Luke's face darkened. "I've forgiven my dad. And we've just got to make it along all by ourselves. The gods can't have direct interference. You know that."

"Yeah, well…" Roslyn's voice broke. "They could at least let us know where we are, or how to win, or something."

"You can tell us that, right?"

"Yes, but it's a little confusing. It's like Silver's memories mixed with mine. Now all I have are glances inside her life. And let me tell you, it's not pretty. But that's not what brought me back. Take a look." Roslyn gestured towards the television screen. "That's Percy and Annabeth!"

Luke looked shocked. He looked closely at the image. "Wow! They're here too! I wonder who else."

"Let's check." Roslyn skipped to the end of the coverage where they showed everyone's portraits, plus what district they were from.

Two of the pictures showed a beautiful girl with black hair, blue eyes, and perfect skin. The boy from that district was a big, burly boy with blisters on his face and hands.

"That's Silena and Beckendorf!" Roslyn exclaimed. "But they're dead!"

"Uh, Rose, incase you forgot, I'm dead, too." Luke pointed out.

"You're right." Roslyn conceded. Since the only way they could get home was to work together, she had to put aside her anger. "But who else?"

"Well, that's Ethan Nakamura and Clarisse LaRue." Luke touched the kids' pictures from District Seven. The boy was about seventeen and was wearing an eye patch, which was faded and frayed. The girl wasn't pretty, but she _was_ intimidating. Her frame was big and burly, with stringy brown hair, and a permanent scowl on her face.

"She's called Clarisse Drakon-Slayer now." Roslyn informed Luke. "But that's only to her face."

Luke smiled and then turned back towards the screen. "The kids from Districts One, Two, Eleven, Twelve, and the girl from District Six definitely aren't half-bloods."

"The boy from Six is Leo Valdez." Roslyn supplied. "And the kids from Four are called Piper McLean and Jason Grace."

"The tributes from Eight are Thalia Grace and Nico Di Angelo, Nine is Bianca Di Angelo and Jake Mason."

"The demigods in Ten are Michael Yew and-"

_ "Rachel?" _Roslyn gasped. It was undeniable. The red-haired girl on screen was definitely Rachel Elizabeth Dare, resident Oracle of Camp Half-Blood.

"Can you fill me in here?" Luke asked. "Who is Rachel, and why are you so surprised that she's here?"

"She's our Oracle."

"That's not possible! The Oracle's an old, dried out mummy!"

"Oh, I forgot. You were already dead." Roslyn blushed. "Turns out, because the Di Angelo's mother died because of the Great Prophecy, Hades cursed the Oracle. Until his children were accepted, until he was free from the Great Prophecy, the Spirit of Delphi would never move on. It would stay inside that Oracle's body until after the prophecy was fulfilled. Your mother…" Roslyn swallowed hard, not sure how to continue. "Your mother tried to become the Oracle. That's why she was, well,"

"The way she is today." Luke muttered. "And this, _Rachel_, she inherited the Spirit of Delphi?"

Roslyn nodded. "But she's mortal! Why would she be here?"


	5. Chapter 5: Mentor Meeting

The escort woke Roslyn up in the morning, at least, that's what Silver had called her, chirping, "Time to get up! Meet your mentor!" Roslyn groaned and sat up. They had been on the train for almost two days now, and had never once seen their mentors.

Roslyn hoped that neither of the mentors had such a problem with drinking like the mentor from District 12. He'd actually fallen off the stage! While Roslyn pitied him, and the little girl with the blonde hair, she felt rather humbled by the girl Everdeen.

Why couldn't she be courageous like that? Simple answer: She was a coward. Who else would be the one to run away from something like this? Roslyn felt in her gut that the only way out of the nightmare was to fight in the arena and die there.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Roslyn? Are you okay? Romlinda says to get out here before she has to come in there herself."

Roslyn shuddered. As harmless as that woman seemed, there could be some worse things that could happen if she didn't obey. Like, getting knifed by her mentor, for example.

Getting up out of bed, Roslyn went over to the closet and looked through the clothes. "Now _this_ is what I'm talking about." Roslyn muttered, pulling out a pair of casual, though tailor-made capris and a ruffled top.

As she pulled them on, Roslyn felt something in one of the pockets. It was a small leather necklace, laced with two beads. One featured a maze, the other a building. The maze one was pretty simple, but the one with the building on it had too many names to count. Squinting, Roslyn could make out three names: Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, and Ethan Nakamura.

Sighing, Roslyn got up and slipped the necklace over her head. Hopefully she would get a chance to see the Empire State Building again.

**PAGE BREAK**

The first thing Roslyn saw when she went to the main dining car was a woman who might have once been pretty, but was now scowling and had too many scars to count. Across from her was a handsome young man, maybe in his upper twenties.

Luke looked extremely uncomfortable sitting at one end of the table next to the two mentors. Roslyn fought the urge to laugh as she sat down. Searching through Silver's memories, Roslyn came across the two mentors names.

The woman's name was Akiko Miker, and had won at least twenty years ago. She was the most ferocious tribute, everyone agreed, that had ever been in the Games. Apparently, from what Roslyn had been able to sort through, Akiko had killed all the Careers all by herself! But she had also killed her district partner and her ally. Roslyn knew immediately that she was going to claim Magnus Cronin for herself.

Magnus had won the Games with pure charm. Every girl he met in the arena (and most of the other men had been taken out pretty early on) he wooed until he could make it out of there. When it was down to just him and the girl from District Two, he just kept on evading her until she ran out of food. Magnus wasn't a killer, but he sure knew how to survive off the land.

"Hi, Magnus. Akiko." Roslyn greeted.

Akiko grunted and flipped her graying hair back, revealing even more scars up her neck and face. "Nice to meet you too, Sunshine."

Roslyn blinked. Okay… That was the first time anyone had ever called her that. And she really didn't think of herself as Mary Sunshine. Apparently, that still wasn't melancholy enough for Akiko.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Silver." Magnus softly said. Roslyn smiled at him. He _definitely _was one of the nicest people she'd met on the trip. Luke looked at her enviously. Of course he wouldn't get along with Magnus. He was way too morbid for that. And he surely wasn't "Mary Sunshine".

At that moment, Romlinda walked in. "Alright! So you've already met each other in person!" She chirped. If Romlinda had wings, she'd be the perfect bird. Actually, Romlinda reminded Roslyn of that girl, Drew, from back home. But Drew was _way_ nastier than Romlinda.

"So… Have each of you chosen your mentor? Ladies traditionally pick first!"

Roslyn grinned. Finally! A chance to put something over on Luke! "I pick Magnus!" She said it in such a way that you could actually hear the smile in her voice.

"Perfect!" Romlinda said in her sparrow way. "That leaves Akiko with Luke!"

Luke sent a look across the table that clearly said: _I'll get you for this._

Roslyn just stuck her tongue out at him and sat down next to Magnus. She picked up the closest thing she could find that she would have eaten back home, a clementine, and peeled it.

"So. Welcome to what most likely is your death sentence." Akiko said, devoid of any emotion. "Got any skills?"

Luke shrugged. "I'm pretty handy with a sword."

Roslyn popped a slice of citrus in her mouth. "I-" She stopped. How could she say that most likely she could affect the outcome of a fight? "I… know how to tell the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous plants." She improvised.

That was true, but it was mostly with tropical plants. And unless the arena was in Tahiti, then that certainly wasn't going to help her.

Magnus nodded. "That's always a good skill to have."

But Akiko scowled. "That's not going to keep you alive, Sunshine."

Luke leaped in. "Silver also knows how to use a sword."

"Not as well as you, though." Roslyn amended, feeling grateful that he was covering for her.

Akiko nodded. "Fair enough."

Roslyn finished off her clementine and reached for the next thing that looked like something from back home – pulled pork. At home, they called it kalua pig, but they were basically the same. Roslyn's ADHD brain wondered whether she might need to know how to speak Hawaiian during the Games. She knew how to, but would it be a life saving skill?

"We're nearing the city." Magnus noted. Roslyn went to the window and peered out. The sight made her gasp. It looked like a cross between something from Tron and Naboo from Star Wars.

At any rate, it was beautiful. Too bad this was going to be one of the last things she saw before she died. The Capitol streets were filled with people laughing and having a grand time. That's when a fury rose up inside of her. How dare they have a fun time, when kids would be dying in a week's time? How dare they make the kids' that they were going to see killed, and enjoy it, feel like celebrities? It was like a more dire kind of "Stars Earn Stripes".

Roslyn sat back and swished the curtains shut. Magnus was looking at her with a bit of concern. "Get some rest. We'll be in the city before you know it."

Luke got up too and took Roslyn back to her room. She almost asked him to stay with her, but waves of anger made her bite her tongue. "See you at the Capitol." Roslyn said through clenched teeth.

"Look, Roslyn."

Roslyn looked back at him, eyes full of anger.

"I know that only one or neither of us are going to be alive by the time this is over, but we'll need to work together if we're going to at least help one of the other kids win."

That comment softened Roslyn's eyes of steel, but she just nodded wordlessly and went into her room. That night, Roslyn had one of her worst dreams ever.

**PAGE BREAK**

Kronos paced at the top of the plaza, swinging his scythe so his dracaenae bodyguards stayed way back. Roslyn was with Ethan Nakamura and Prometheus, out of slicing range. Ethan was fidgeting with his shield straps, but Prometheus looked as calm and collected as ever in his tuxedo. Roslyn looked no worse for wear, but looked a little dazed, as if she had just gotten hit by one of the centaurs punching bag arrows.

"I hate this place," Kronos growled. "United Nations. As if mankind could ever unite. Remind me to tear down this building after we destroy Olympus."

"Yes, lord." Prometheus smiled as if his master's anger amused him. "Shall we tear down the stables in Central Park too? I know how much horses can annoy you."

"Don't mock me, Prometheus! Those cursed centaurs will be sorry they interfered. I will feed them to the hell-hounds, starting with that son of mine—that weakling Chiron."

Roslyn winced. As much as she liked Luke, Chiron had a special place in her heart. Thankfully, Kronos didn't notice.

Prometheus shrugged. "That weakling destroyed an entire legion of telkhines with his arrows." Kronos swung his scythe and cut a flagpole in half. The national colors of Brazil toppled into the army,

squashing a dracaena.

"We will destroy them!" Kronos roared. "It is time to unleash the drakon. Nakamura, you will do this."

Roslyn visibly paled.

"Y-yes, lord. At sunset?"

"No," Kronos said. "Immediately. The defenders of Olympus are badly wounded. They will not expect a quick attack. Besides, we know this drakon they cannot beat."

Ethan looked confused. "My lord?" Roslyn also looked confused.

"Never you mind, Nakamura. Just do my bidding. I want Olympus in ruins by the time Typhon reaches New York. We will break the gods utterly!"

"But, my lord," Ethan said. "Your regeneration."

Kronos pointed at Ethan, and the demigod froze. "Does it seem," Kronos hissed, "that I need to regenerate?" Ethan didn't respond.

Kronos snapped his fingers and Ethan collapsed. "Soon," the Titan growled, "this form will be unnecessary. I will not rest with victory so close. Now, go!"

Ethan scrambled away.

"This is dangerous, my lord," Prometheus warned. "Do not be hasty."

"Hasty? After festering for three thousand years in the depths of Tartarus, you call me hasty? I will slice Percy Jackson into a thousand pieces."

"Thrice you've fought him," Prometheus pointed out. "And yet you've always said it is beneath the dignity of a Titan to fight a mere mortal. I wonder if your mortal host is influencing you, weakening your judgment."

Kronos turned his golden eyes on the other Titan. "You call me weak?"

"No, my lord. I only meant—"

"Are your loyalties divided?" Kronos asked. "Perhaps you miss your old friends, the gods. Would you like to join them?"

Prometheus paled. "I misspoke, my lord. Your orders will be carried out." He turned to the armies and shouted, "PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"

The dream changed.

Now Roslyn was standing outside a building, next to Ethan Nakamura. Kronos was not far behind. As Roslyn waded through the forces of Olympus, a Hyperborean giant swing his club wide and took out a pillar.

The balcony above began to crumble. Roslyn stabbed underneath the guard of the half-blood she was up against and he crumpled to the ground. Just then, she heard someone calling her name. It was Ethan, and he looked horrorstruck.

That's when Roslyn heard the crumbling rock. She looked up and screamed. To this day, she couldn't quite tell what had happened. All she knew was the terrifying sight as the balcony crashed down on her, and the agony of being underneath a pile of stone too big for anything but a Cyclops or a god to lift.

Kronos strode by, not even looking at her. "Luke!" She cried out. "Help me!"

Kronos turned and looked at her, nothing betraying what he felt. "You are no longer of use to me." With that, he kept on striding towards Olympus.

"Luke!" Roslyn screamed. "Don't leave me!" He didn't even look back. Roslyn faded back into unconsciousness.

That's when Roslyn woke up screaming.


	6. Chapter 6: What ARE The Stylists?

Of course it had to be _Luke_ who heard her screaming. Of anyone else, it had to be the one she was having nightmares about! But he came in and sat with her for a long time, Roslyn was eventually so tired that she just fell asleep. The feeling of panic had faded into a mild fear in the back of her mind.

Too soon, Roslyn was woken up by Luke's hand on her shoulder. "Time to meet our prep team." He says with a grim smile.

Roslyn shuddered as she accessed Silver's memories about the outfits from previous years. Some of them were great, some passable, some downright embarrassing. Who would let someone out in front audiences with nothing but coal dust covering them? It was just disgusting.

But she had no choice but to follow Luke out into the prep area, finding the "District Five" places with ease. They split off there, Luke going to the door marked: "Sprocket White", and Roslyn going to the door with, "Silver Spectrum". She really hated that name. She sounded like a ghost.

The first impression she got when she walked through the door was: _"This is where Madagascar Three becomes reality!"_ The prep team's hairstyles were so crazy that it looked even worse than beehives from the 20th century.

"Hi, Silver!" A girl with cotton candy blue hair in curly pigtails comes over to me. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Ah! Look at her legs!" A middle-aged woman shrieked. "They are horrible!" Roslyn looked down. True, her legs had hair on them, but they didn't look _horrible._

"Oh, Michiko doesn't think before she speaks." The girl assured her. "Of course, that will take some time to remove. But you'd better let us take a look at you, first!"

They looked expectantly at Roslyn, and then the realization sunk in. They wanted her to _take off all her clothes_ right in front of them!

"Well, come on! We don't have all day!" A man with bright green spikes of hair said impatiently.

Finally, Roslyn gave in. She began pulling off her dress, all the while thinking, _"This is so embarrassing!"_

After having looked at her for quite a while, the prep team agreed that they would have to do the full treatment, which hurt Roslyn's feelings a bit. Was she really that horrible looking? Roslyn accessed Silver's memories to find out why. That's when she found out that unless you have hair like the man on her prep team, tattoos curling around your whole body like the girl, who looked to only be a couple years older than Roslyn herself, you weren't stylish or pretty.

But when they waxed her legs, then her arms, then her face, Roslyn began to wonder whether it was stylish to have any hair at all, or only two hairs on your whole body.

After the very painful hair removal, they soaked Roslyn in some foul-smelling liquid. After that, it was to another tub that looked like it was filled with chocolate pudding. And finally to a _very _sweet-smelling soak. Roslyn almost gagged on the smell.

After that, the prep team allowed her to put on a robe, then went to go and get her stylist. Roslyn's hair was dripping wet, and she felt like a turkey on Thanksgiving.

When her stylist walked in, all Roslyn could think was, _"Oh, no."_ Even though he looked quite normal, there was something about him that scared Roslyn even more than the prep team.

His hair was long and black, with just a hint of red. And he was very tall, not to mention so pale that Roslyn almost fainted. _"Either he almost never gets outside, or he's Dracula in a very poor disguise!"_

"Hello, Silver. It's nice to meet you." Well, he seemed pretty sane. "Now tell me, what's your favorite part about your district?" And he didn't mess around at all. Another point in his favor.

"Umm…" Roslyn carefully thought through that question, even consulting Silver on it. "The electric power."

"Indeed." Her stylist nodded. "And why is that?"

"It's just so clean, and looks so beautiful." Roslyn was frustrated that she couldn't think of another way to describe it.

"I will take that into account. You know, you could make a grand stylist one day." The stylist stepped toward the door. "My name's Shonan, by the way."

Shonan. Roslyn blinked, wondering if he knew he was named after a kind of artwork.

Shonan was a kind of artwork underneath the umbrella of manga. It was considered the more manly style of manga, normally having to do with saving the world, fighting evil, or something of that sort.

The girl style was called shojo. That type was normally used in romantic tales and stuff like that, no saving the universe in shojo.

But as Shonan stepped outside the room, Roslyn was left with nothing to do but twiddle her thumbs and be bored.

**PAGE BREAK**

When Shonan came back, there was nothing sparkly in his arms, just something that looked like a black gown, accompanied by… a purse, maybe?

"Well, go ahead. Try it on!" Shonan urged.

Roslyn took the outfit from him and looked around the black white room. There was a steel Chinese curtain against one wall, and the table she had been sitting on. She walked over the curtain, stepping behind it to change.

When she came out, Roslyn found a mirror out in the area where Shonan was waiting. "Ah, yes!" Shonan clapped his hands enthusiastically. "You look gorgeous!"

But Roslyn could look only in the mirror, speechless. The girl in the mirror had her hair up in a high ponytail, with tiny braids running all through it. The make-up was electric blue, giving the effect that her eyes were black. But that wasn't the part that scared her. What scared her was the tight-fitting black jumpsuit she was wearing. True, she looked fabulous in it, but the purse-thing wasn't a purse.

It was a coiled black whip. _I, I look like _Catwoman.

"Well?" Shonan prompted.

Roslyn looked up, forcing a smile on her face. "It's beautiful, Shonan! Thank you!"

Shonan seemed fairly pleased with this answer, and quickly made his exit. "Let me see what my partner has come up with!" He called back.

Slumping down, Roslyn was left with her own dark thoughts. _I hope Luke is dressed as Batman. _She thought ferociously. _That gives me an excuse to murder him._

But apparently, that wasn't the plan. When Luke and Roslyn met before the chariot ride, his eyebrows went up, but that was the only sign that he was surprised.

As for Luke, his only sign of having been made up was the other scars that now crisscrossed his arms, his face, and his legs. But he was wearing a gold suit of Grecian armor, with symbols from District Five all over it. Plus, he was also holding a sword that made Roslyn swallow.

It was an odd color, but it scared Roslyn because she'd had nightmares about that sword, or else one very much like it. _That looks an awful lot like 'Backbiter'._

"Come on!" Shonan called. He and Luke's stylist, ironically called Shojo, were already way ahead of them. "Your chariot is over here!" Roslyn swallowed again and slowly walked towards them, sticking close to Luke, but also staying at the side that didn't have a sword.


	7. Chapter 7: The Chariots Ride in Fire

Roslyn was standing on top of the chariot, surveying the other platforms. She recognized most of the people: Percy with his sea-green eyes, looking concernedly at Annabeth, effortlessly gorgeous with her princess hair. Silena looked like a warrior princess, but her sappy expression was ruining the image. Beckendorf was looking very worried, but the chemistry between him and Silena was obvious.

Roslyn couldn't pick out anyone else that she knew, but the dazzling District One girl was looking at her like Roslyn was fresh meat. Looking to her left, Roslyn could see the same kind of glances being directed at her by the brutal-looking District Two boy and the vicious-looking District Two girl.

Roslyn shuddered, drawing closer to Luke, and taking his hand, as if to block out their cold glares. Even though she still had a quarrel with him, there was no doubt that because she couldn't even see the other demigods, Roslyn was going to stick close to the best protection she had.

The District One chariot was getting into position at the very front, and as it pulled forward, Roslyn could see two very scared-looking tributes. The side of the chariot had a big number twelve on the side, so Roslyn knew that it must be the Everdeen girl and Mellark boy.

She tilted her head to one side, squinting at the costumes they were wearing. They were wearing identical outfits, but the uniforms had no personality at all. They were a plain black, with capes. It made no sense to Roslyn, but then she remembered what she was wearing.

_At least I'm not the only freak here_. Roslyn thought grimly. Still, that wasn't enough reason for either of the tributes to have the expressions of complete panic that they were sporting like fine jewels.

It made no sense, but Roslyn was distracted when the chariot lurched forward. Realizing she was still holding Luke's hand, she dropped it quickly, going to stand as far away from him as possible.

Not that there was enough room to get more than a few steps away from him, but, hey, Roslyn would take what she could get.

The lights blinded Roslyn when they first rolled into view. When her vision had recovered, Roslyn was stunned by the sheer number of people come to see the tributes dress up before they died. Of course it was a huge production, the whole of Panem was supposed to watch, so it would _have_ to be as big as they could make it.

Glancing to Luke, Roslyn was unsurprised to see him turn up the charm. Smiling the cocky grin that had once made her feel light-headed, he swung his sword casually. The girls in the audience loved it, screaming, shouting, throwing flowers, even swooning.

_Seriously? _Roslyn thought. Not to be outdone, she lifted the glossy black whip and snapped it. The horses must have been trained not to react to anything, because they kept up the poky pace that they had been doing before.

But the crowd loved it, and a roar was beginning a crescendo. Roslyn doubted that her trick with the whip, or Luke's charm, had made the multitude of people go even more nuts. In fact, on a scale, the horde of people would be closest to 'insanity'.

The pair of horses had just started on a curve around the commentator's tower when Roslyn got her first glimpse of what was causing all the commotion. It was District Twelve.

Roslyn gasped as the two smiling tributes rode forward, leaving a trail of fire and smoke around them. They looked perfectly at ease for two people flaming their way down the street.

It was amazing and incredible. It was definitely going to be one of the most unforgettable outfits in all the Hunger Games.

Roslyn caught Leo glaring at the two tributes, a small flame blazing from his hand. For some reason, he glanced towards her, and Roslyn shook her head almost imperceptibly, trying to give him the message, "_Don't even think about it."_ Sure, it would be wicked cool to have Leo do his 'flame on' stuff, while Annabeth turned invisible, Percy started summoning water into a magnificent hydro-show, and Frank could turn into…Roslyn didn't know, but she didn't want Leo to blow their cover that they all had special gifts, or thought that they did. Roslyn added bitterly.

Leo let out a visible sigh and extinguished the flame. Thankfully, his foxy-looking district partner didn't notice. She would have probably jumped out of the chariot, which would have not been a good thing. Roslyn looked over the side, and estimated it was a good twenty feet to the ground, maybe more.

To occupy herself, Roslyn began humming themes from her favorite movies. _Hedwig's Theme_ from Harry Potter, _He's a Pirate_ from Pirates of the Caribbean, and finally _Thneedville_ from The Lorax. Roslyn knew it was a kid's movie, but her dad loved treating her to hilarious movies, and Roslyn had adored The Lorax.

"What was that?" Roslyn looked at Luke, who had to lean close to her ear and shout to be heard over the throng of Capitol residents.

"It was nothing." Roslyn shouted back, trying to get her mind back on what they were doing right now. But her ADHD was giving her trouble, and the chariot ride was so boring that Roslyn was silently begging for someone to shoot her. Okay, maybe not. But still, Roslyn _seriously_ wanted to get off the chariot.

The chariot ride had only been going on for about an hour when it was over.

Stepping off the carriage, Roslyn tripped, almost getting a broken nose on the concrete. Fortunately – or _unfortunately_, depending on how you looked at it, Luke caught her.

"I can get down myself!" She snapped, pushing him away.

"Except for the part when you _didn't_." Luke countered, stepping away from her all the same.

**PAGE BREAK**

When the two teenagers got back to their apartment, they were immediately engulfed in a hug from Romlinda. "You did a marvelous job, darlings! Of course, it was nothing compared to the two from Twelve, but what a show! The crowd is going to _love _you!"

"Um, thanks, Romlinda." Luke said, sliding out of her grasp. "But we need to find Akiko and Magnus now. Do you know where they are?"

"I think they're watching the recaps of the chariot rides." Romlinda waved vaguely back towards the interior of the building.

When they did find Akiko and Magnus, the two were very inviting. At least, Magnus was. Akiko merely scowled and grunted, which Roslyn supposed was better than being called 'Mary Sunshine'.

But Magnus stood up and gave them both a strong squeeze. "You were fantastic!" Was all he said, but it pretty much covered everything.

Akiko grunted, taking another swig of whatever she was drinking. Most likely a wine, but since the bottle was a deep green color, you couldn't tell what was inside it. But the smell of alcohol and the way Akiko was staggering didn't lie.

"You did terrible job." Akiko slurred. "I did the best in all the world when I was there. Look."

Akiko climbed up on a table, but fell off almost immediately. She hit her head hard, but when Luke moved in to try and help her, Magnus held up a hand.

"Don't move her. It serves her right for trying to discredit you." Magnus chuckled. It was infectious, and soon they were all laughing so hard that they didn't even notice when Shojo, Shonan, and Romlinda entered the room.

"Magnus! They have training tomorrow!" Romlinda reminded him disapprovingly. "They can't stay up all night!"

Shonan shook his head. "I once stayed up all night, working on a costume for my tribute. It didn't go so well. I was so tired that I gave them a gunny sack instead of the masterpiece that I had made them."

Shojo giggled. Roslyn looked at her, not having seen the girl before. Her hair was tightly curled, like ringlets, and tied up in big pigtails. Her skin was dyed a rosy pink, and it complemented her turquoise hair nicely. Shojo looked just like a manga character, and it was actually a really good look for her.

"I think that was your masterpiece, Shonan."

"It might have been." Shonan said mysteriously. "But we can decide on that later. Right now, Romlinda's right. You two need to get to bed."

Roslyn got up and followed Luke out of the room. Soon, they split off their separate ways.

When Roslyn opened the door to her bedroom, she gasped. She was standing in Camp Half-Blood, looking out towards the sound. Roslyn knew that it was programmed to be like that, but tears began welling up in her eyes.

She flopped down on the bed and sobbed. Would she ever be home again?


End file.
